The invention relates to an electrical connector having contacts with elongated resilient beams that are stamped from sheet material, and in particular, to a structure for increasing the stiffness of elongated resilient contact beams.
Many electrical connectors have resilient beam contacts that are stamped from sheet material and formed into a desired configuration by bending. These contacts are designed to deflect upon engagement with contacts of a mating electrical connector. The deflecting contacts must exert a sufficient spring force to generate a required normal force on the mating contacts in order to ensure that a reliable electrical connection is made. The desired spring force is achieved by proper selection of the contact material, size, configuration and amount of deflection.
The constant trend toward miniaturization in electrical equipment requires that contact sizes be reduced. However, reducing the size of a resilient beam contact reduces its spring rate, thereby requiring a greater deflection to produce the desired spring force and making it more likely that the contact will be overstressed. Accordingly, there is a need to increase the spring rate and improve the strength of a small size resilient beam contact.
According to the invention, an electrical contact includes a contact body that is stamped from sheet material. The contact body has opposite surfaces and a nominal thickness between the opposite surfaces corresponding to a thickness of the sheet material. The contact body has a mounting section that is adapted to be secured in a connector housing, and a resilient section that is deflectable upon engagement with a mating contact. The resilient section includes a deformed section wherein the opposite surfaces of the contact body are deformed to produce extremities, and a thickness between the extremities is greater than the nominal thickness of the contact body. The increased thickness increases the stiffness of the resilient section, thereby increasing the spring rate of the contact.